


The Kids Are Alright (Now) - Extras!

by Marmeladeskies



Series: The Kids Are Alright (Now)-Series [2]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Cuteness overload, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, backstories, children being cute, extra content, kid!AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-07-10 01:41:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15939149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marmeladeskies/pseuds/Marmeladeskies
Summary: A collection of extra content from my AFTG Kid!AU The Kids Are Alright (Now)feat. princess Nicky, Stuart being a bamf, "mommy, how did you and daddy meet?", a lesbian aunt, and much, much more.





	1. Princes can kiss boys, too

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is the much anticipated extra content.  
> I have decided to try and post every week, but I won't make any promises (cause I'm working on my own book which is???? so exciting??? And also so stressful wow).
> 
> Thank you all again for your awesome support. It makes me so happy to know that TKAA(N) touched so many of you and made so many of you smile ♥

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter was a bit of a personal challenge for me to write, even though it's short. My own relationship with religion and belief is... let's say, critical at best. It's just not my thing, and unfortunately, I've had rather negative experiences with religion in the past which kind of makes it a triggering topic for me. However, I understand and respect that others do find support, peace and love in religion. That's why I included it here in the extra content, especially concerning Nicky's sexuality.

“...the prince and the princess kissed, got married and then lived happily ever after. The End.” Valentina closes the book.  
Nicky sighs softly and leans against her shoulder, cradled in her arm, her fingers gently carding around his curls. One of them hangs down into his eyes. She pushes it away.  
“What are you thinking about, mi corazón?”  
Nicky is quiet for a moment. Then he asks: “Mami… can boys be princesses, too?”  
“Hm.” Valentina needs a moment to think about this. “...usually, boys are princes.”

“I don’t wanna be a prince!”

Nicky pulls a face that makes his mother laugh softly. 

“...cause I don’t wanna kiss a girl.”, he adds, and there’s this little pang in Valentina’s heart.

“Who do you wanna kiss, then?”, she asks. Nicky’s curl falls back into his eyes. 

Nicky thinks for a moment, then says: “Ken!”

“Who’s Ken?”

“From the Barbie movie, mami!” Nicky sounds offended about the fact that she doesn’t remember.

“Ooooh.” Valentina remembers. Well. Some boys like Batman, some boys like Barbie. Some boys like girls, some boys like boys. 

It’s not like she hasn’t had a certain inkling yet. But Nicky is a small child, and trying to press him into any box is just useless and stupid. And of course, people will comment on certain things, like Nicky’s long hair and the fact that the rubber boots he picked out for himself are pink. But Valentina knows her child, and she knows that whatever makes Nicky happy is the best for him. 

“Well,I think princes can kiss other boys, too, if they’d rather.”, she says, and Nicky smiles into her shoulder, his cheeks a little pink. 

“Do you think so?”, he asks, and she nods. 

“Of course. But only grown-up princes.” 

Nicky giggles against her shoulder.

“Now, come on, we’ll say a prayer and then it’s bedtime, yeah?” 

Nicky nods and wiggles in her arms, turning so he’s on his back, hands clasped on his chest. He knows their good night prayer by heart. 

“God, my friend, it is time to sleep.  
I thank you for a soul unique,  
And thank you for another day,  
To run and jump and laugh and play!”, he recites. 

“Amen.”, Valentina adds, and then rolls over to kiss his forehead. “Sleep well, my little prince.”


	2. A Phone Call Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Chapter two ;) enjoy! I‘m on holiday in Spain rn, which is why this chapter is being posted on Sunday instead of Saturday.
> 
> A big shoutout to everyone who followed me on Tumblr. Feel free to send asks!

It wasn’t too unusual for Stuart’s phone to ring in the middle of the night.

What was unusual was that it’s wasn’t his business phone. It was the phone with the number that only 3 people knew.   
Stuart held the display to his phone, staring at it with bleary eyes. 

“Sister”, the display read. 

“Fuck.”, Stuart whispered to himself and quickly untangled himself from two sets of limbs that had wrapped around him after last night’s adventures. 

He hurried to the bathroom of his private rooms of his Clapham mansion. Well, the first set of private rooms, anyways, that were private enough for him to bring his hook-ups here, but not so private that he’d have to hide anything before doing so. 

“Mary?”, he hissed into the phone right after the bathroom door had closed behind him. 

“Stuart!” She sounded breathless and hectic and scared, but that was just Mary’s life style nowadays. “They’re gonna come for us, Stuart, they- Nathan- and Nathaniel- he-” 

Her breathing sounded ragged, and slowly, Stuart did grow a little worried. 

As hectic and scared Mary usually was, she never lost her organized head. Stuttering like this just wasn’t like her.

“What happened, Mary?”

Hopefully, someone had finally offed her bastard of a husband.

“Moriyama- he sold Nathan out- Stuart, you need to come right now and get Nathaniel-” Someone in the background yelled something Stuart didn’t understand, and then there was the distinct sound of a small child crying. 

Nathaniel.

Mary’s son, barely two years old. Stuart had seen him twice in his life, he barely knew the tiny tot, really. 

He could have said “Fuck, Mary, deal with your bullcrap yourself.” or “I’m on another continent.” or “I’d rather go back to bed.”.

But Mary was his sister after all, and Nathaniel was his nephew, and Stuart liked to think he wasn’t entirely heartless.

“I’m on my way.”, he said.

After hanging up, Stuart dialled his assistant’s number.

 

“Book the next flight to Baltimore. Right now.”


	3. Twelve Years Prior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Mom, how did you and Dad meet?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, another lil chapter for you today! I hope you're having a great weekend so far. Enjoy!
> 
> thank you for all of your lovely comments and all the kudos.

Elsa stood by the wall, helplessly holding on to her beer. 

There was loud music and drunk people dressed in funny clothes. Not funny in a bad way, just weird funny, with holes held together by buttons and patches, necklines low and hemlines short.

Elsa wondered if she should have worn a dress instead of jeans and a blouse. Alice had offered to lend her clothes, but Elsa had declined, and now she was regretting it.   
Her hands felt a little jittery as she slowly peeled the label off the bottle. She really wanted to go home and curl up in der dorm room with her book, but for that, she would have to tell Alice (First rule of Freshman Year: Always tell Alice everything). The problem was that Alice was currently getting to know some girl’s mouth very intensely with her own mouth, and Elsa really didn’t want to be the interrupting little sister. So she just stood by, hoping that Alice would have to come up for air soon.

Alice, however, did not. 

Eventually, Elsa just decided to flee the stuffed atmosphere of the sorority house and sit outside on the porch.   
Her beer had warmed up from being held between her palms for so long, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to drink it warm. She wasn’t going to, anyway. So she just sat there, desperately wishing she hadn’t agreed to come.

‘Are you sure you want to go to college, sweetheart?’, she heard her mother say in her head, ‘You could just take online classes and stay here for a little longer, you know, recover a little more.’

But Elsa had insisted on going. Fucking cancer wasn’t going to stop her. And she was fine, now, after surgery and chemo and all that. One less ovary wasn’t going to stop her from living her life.

Social anxiety was, apparently. 

“Uh, excuse me, is this the… party?”

Elsa, startled out of her self-pity, looked up. She had to look up further than expected. The guy in front of her was tall. Very tall. And lanky. 

“Umm…” Elsa half-turned to look behind her; the house was obviously pulsating with music and drunk people stumbling in and out. “Yeah.”

“Oh. Okay. Cool.”, the guy said. He had very blond hair, Elsa noticed, and glasses that bounced up and down on his nose as he nodded. “So, uh, you’re… a guest?”

“Hopefully not much longer.”, Elsa replied before she could help herself. 

Tall guy blinked, and then, just when Elsa expected to hear a weirded out “okaaay”, he grinned. “Not a good party?”

“Dunno, I’ve never really been to parties before. I think maybe I’m just not a good party person.” Elsa dug her nail into the last little bit of label left on the bottle. 

Tall guy stood there for a moment, gears turning in his head, and then said, “You know, I think me neither. Can I sit with you? Would- I mean, would that be ok? I don’t wanna be creepy, I promise, I’m just-”

Elsa scooted over. “Just sit down.”

He sat down quickly, giving his legs an awkward little stretch. 

“I’m Oskar.”, he said.

“Elsa.” When she turned to the side to look at him, she noticed a smattering of freckles across his nose. 

“So, why are you here if you’re not a party person?”, he asked.

“My sister. She is the partiest party person. And she convinced me to come, but now she’s making out with someone and I’m here. She’s a senior, and she’s very cool, and very party, and very the opposite of me.”

“Sounds rough.”

“Yeah. Why are you here if you’re not a party person?”

Oskar shrugged. “Going out is kind of required when you want to meet people.”

Elsa felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth. “To meet girls, you mean?”

“Eh. People.”, Oskar replied, and the shy little smile he flashed her made Elsa’s dumb heart beat a little faster. Oh, no. Don‘t develop a fleeting, overly romantic one night-crush on this weird dude you're probably never going to see again, Elsa.

“So, you went out to meet people and now you’re stuck with the weird, anxious freshman girl who sits outside and longs for her bed. My condolences.”, she said, instantly regretting the thick sarcasm.

Oskar laughed. “Joke’s on you, you’re stuck with the weird guy who goes to parties and then can’t even manage to go in.”

“Relatable.”

“Thanks. So, what do you study?” 

“English Lit. You?”

“Automotive engineering.”

And just like that, they were talking. Oskar asked about her courses and teachers, dorm life, and all the other college things college kids talked about at college parties (or so Elsa assumed), and soon, Elsa caught herself not wanting to go home as badly as before.

 

 

 

♥

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comment to make a writer happy? ♥


	4. News

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooo uuuh I guess don't question some things in this chapter too much xD I know a lot of it doesn't make sense, but it's for storytelling puposes, ok? :D Also, HEYYY surprise, did you expect this? ;) Lmk in the comments.
> 
> thank you again for you support ♥

„David Wymack?“

 

David wasn‘t sure if this was a very weird dream or if there really was police stading by his front door at three in the morning.

„Yeah?“ He wasn‘t exactly eloquent at this time of the night.

„David?“, Abby called from upstairs. David could hear her naked feet on the hardwood floor. 

„What the-“ She swallowed the last word of her swear when she spotted the policemen on their front steps. She was in a pink , hastily tied robe, her hair still mussed from sleep.

„Are you gonna tell me what I‘m supposed to have done?“, David asked the policeman in front of him, his arms crossed. As an ex-con, he didn‘t have the best relationships with cops in general, and an even worse one with cops who showed up at his door in the middle of the night.

„We’re sorry to inform you that Kayleigh Day was in a fatal car crash, Mister Wymack.“ The cop kept his hands clasped in front of himself, and his knuckles was what David focused on in that moment. 

Next to him, Abby gasped.

A soft „fuck“ found its way out of David‘s mouth. Kayleigh hadn‘t been an active figure in his life lately, but that didn‘t mean she didn‘t matter to him. Which suddenly brought up a very important question in David‘s mind.

„Why- I mean, why are you telling me? Now? I assume it just… happened?“ Abby‘s hand gently lay on his forearm. 

The young officer in front of him nodded. His collegue looked appropriately sincere. They were both quite young for cops; maybe late twenties. Younger than David, but older than Abby.

„Mister Wymack, you… Kayleigh Day has a six year old son.“

And just like that, the floor under David‘s feet seemed to liquefy. 

Kayleigh had a six year old son. Six years. 

„He‘s…“ 

„...yours.“, the cop softly completed David‘s sentence.

Abby‘s hand fell from his arm as he lifted his hands to cover his face.

„His name is Kevin.“, the cop said, „Kevin David Day.“


	5. Two years later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, yes, I'm still alive! Sorry to keep you waiting this long ♥   
> This chapter is truly an extra- it didn't make its way into the main story because I'm not 100% happy with it, so it's not quite finished and polished up nicely. But this is what the Extras are for :) enjoy!

These days, two colorful backpacks have their place by the front door. They wait there every morning after having been put there the night before, ready with books and pencils and snacks inside.  
One of them is green and with a T-Rex pattern, the other one is bright red, decorated with colorful cars. Sometimes, a third one will join, midnight blue with white, fluffy cats on it. 

Elsa still can’t believe her babies are in school now. They can read and write and do math, and they’re so freaking good at it that Elsa kind of wants to photocopy their report cards and send them to everyone who’s ever doubted the twins. 

Aaron loves school, a lot, but that’s not exactly a surprise; he’s always been fascinated by studying, and he is so proud of every new thing he learns. 

Andrew is great at it, too, but Elsa suspects that his desire to sit in class hinges on whether Neil is there with him or not. But everyone has accepted that by now, and it works the same way the other way around as well.

Andrew still plays Exy. 

Back in kindergarten, it was the only sport he wanted to stick with- they offered him anything from football to gymnastics. But Exy was the only thing Andrew accepted. 

By now, both Aaron and Neil have joined the Little League Team as well. It’s run by their classmate’s father, David Wymack, a gruff man with a bushy moustache who moved into their neighbourhood with his girlfriend Abby and his son Kevin halfway into first grade. 

“You’re, like, the cool version of a soccer mom now.”, Oskar tells Elsa whenever they get ready to go to one of their sons’ games. 

“Yeah, the mega cool version.”, Elsa replies and ties the orange bandana into her hair. 

 

Neil is friends with Kevin, and Aaron is friends with Kevin, and so Andrew is friends with Kevin, too. He doesn’t like him as much as he likes Neil, but he still likes him enough to invite him over to play with them and to let him pet Monstertruck. They even sit in the same row in school; Andrew, Neil, Kevin and then Aaron at the other end.

Somewhere along the line, Andrew has accepted Kevin into his inner circle. 

Whenever Kevin comes over, Elsa can’t help but notice how polite Kevin is. He’s tall and strong for his age already, towering almost a full head over both Andrew and Neil, but he’s soft-spoken and timid and always says “thank you” and “please”. Not that her twins and Neil aren’t polite, but they’re kind of wild sometimes, a little reckless when they’re together and feel safe. Kevin always seems very concerned about making too much noise or bringing too much dirt into the Minyards’ (or Hatfords’) house. However, when they’re on the court, the polite, timid child transforms into a little warrior, just like the twins and Neil.

Exy is a tough sport. The amount of bruises Elsa puts a cool pack on and the amounts of scratches Oskar expertly wraps in band-aids and bandages is a constant in their household. 

One time, Neil breaks his nose when he slams into the side wall of court too fast (because the kid can run like Speedy Gonzalez), which ends with Stuart taking Andrew to the hospital with them because Neil won’t let go off Andrew’s hand as blood gushes out of his nostrils. 

Later, Stuart takes them out for ice cream. Over the fence, he tells Elsa that Neil wouldn’t let go off Andrew’s hand, even when the doctor was treating him.

 

Sometimes, Elsa wonders what’s going to become of them. She wonders if this friendship between Neil and Andrew will always stay just that, a friendship, and if it will always stay this pure. She hopes that, whatever develops as they get older, they always stay friends.


	6. The Age Old Question

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys ♥ I hope you're all doing well on your way to the holidays! No matter what you celebrate, I hope you have a good time doing so, with lots of nice food and love. 
> 
> Enjoy some cute Aaron and some responsible Andrew in this chapter.

“Mommy, is Santa Claus real?” 

Elsa almost drops the piece of cookie dough she’s been forming into a little ball. 

“Why, yes, sweetie, of course.”, she quickly says to Aaron, who is standing next to her on a little stool, helping her bake. “-Andrew, stop eating the raw dough, I see you over there.” 

Andrew quickly swallows, looking a little bit like Monstertruck when she’s found something disgusting, slash delicious, on the sidewalk.   
“I saw Santa once.”, he declares proudly, sticking his hands back into the bowl of dough, kneading some more. 

“Really?” Aaron leans forward so he can look past Elsa at his brother. 

“Yah.”, Andrew says in his best cool-guy voice, making Elsa grin. 

“When? I don’t believe you!” Aaron sounds like that’s a lie, and when Andrew nods, his eyes widen. 

“I did! Last year, when you were sleeping, I snuck out of our room and I saw him in the living room!” 

“You did?”, Elsa asks, barely keeping the laughter out of her voice. 

“Yeah! ...well, his big, red butt! Outside the window, I bet he just put the presents under the tree and was leaving.” 

“Woah.”, Aaron whispers, voice full of wonder. 

Elsa grins hard enough that her cheeks are hurting. “You gotta be careful, Andrew, if he ever sees you, he might not come back! Don’t scare him off.”

“Why would Santa be scared of a little boy?”, Aaron asks. 

“Because he doesn’t want to be seen, duh! People would start to question how he manages to bring all those presents to all the kids!”, Andrew explains like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. It does make Aaron fall into a thoughtful silence. 

“Come on, my little elves, let’s finish those cookies.” Elsa grabs the bowl from Andrew’s hands, prying a piece of dough from his greedy fingers that are already on their way to his mouth again. “Andrew, stop, you’re gonna get salmonella.” 

“Does that mean I can stay home from school?”

 

Later, when they’re snuggled up on the couch after skyping Oskar (who’s on his last business trip of the year), Aaron falls asleep watching How To Tame Your Dragon.   
Andrew cranes his neck to look over Elsa, checking if his brother is really asleep. When he’s sure, he whispers, “Mom, I want to tell you a secret.”   
Elsa turns her head to the side to look at him properly; he’s lying on her left side, Monster’s head in his lap. 

“What secret?” For a second, Elsa’s heart leaps in her chest, but the way Andrew starts smirking calms it down again. 

“I know Santa isn’t real.” He leans in, his tone conspiratory. 

Elsa can’t help it; a burst of laughter escapes her. “Oh?” 

“Yeah. I know it’s you and daddy who put the presents under the tree.” He looks so smug that Elsa just wants to hug him. 

“You didn’t tell Aaron, though, did you?” She remembers their conversation this afternoon. “...that’s really nice of you, Andrew.”  
Andrew shrugs, and scratches Monster behind her ear. “...he’ll find out some day.”, he says. 

Elsa smiles, warmth and pride spreading through her. She reaches out and offers Andrew her arm. He obliges, and snuggles into her side. 

“I’m really proud of you, Andrew.”, she says quietly, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “...y’know what, we’ll make edible cookie dough tomorrow, okay? Some without egg.” 

 

They do, and then eat the whole bowl in one sitting, and Elsa only feels mildly bad about it.


	7. Getting To Know Each Other/Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anon on tumblr asked for more backstory to Stuart and Neil, so here it is. Be warned: feels ahead.
> 
> Thank you for your continuing support, guys! It really means the world to me.

There are only few people who aren‘t corrupt if the price is right. Especially cops. Or Feds. Usually, doubling whatever they earn seals the deal, and even then Stuart is sometimes still a little surprised at how little it is. 

Well. 

Everything, according to Stuart, has a price tag. There are only very few problems that cannot be solved if he throws enough money at them.   
A corrupt employee of Nathan‘s.  
A few cops who catch only the right people (mainly none of Stuart‘s own) and ignore everybody else.   
A good lawyer.   
Fake papers for Nathaniel. 

 

Mary dies during the whole thing, but that was foreseeable. Of course Stuart isn‘t happy about it, but death is something he can accept. Mary (and Stuart himself, too) was really never meant to die happily of old age.   
The kid, Nathaniel- no, Neil. That‘s his new name. The name on the fake papers, the fake passport and the fake birth certificate. It‘s a good story, close to reality. Stuart came up with it on the flight to Baltimore: godfather takes custody of boy whose mother went to prison. What for doesn‘t matter; people usually don‘t ask further questions after „prison“.

 

Nathaniel is small.   
Way too small, probably. Or maybe not? Stuart doesn‘t know a whole lot about children. He texts his assisstant to download child care books for him.   
Nathaniel is small with a shock of too-long, auburn curls and the brightest blue eyes Stuart has ever seen. Well, at least Nathan could have been sure that Mary never cheated on him.   
His appearance seems to be the only thing that Nathaniel inherited from his father, though. He‘s got Mary‘s fine bone structure, and he does not look particularly muder-y to Stuart, either. 

To be frank, he looks positively traumatized. It‘s no wonder, really. Stuart also texts his assistant to find a discreet pediatrician.   
And maybe a nanny. 

 

They‘re at the airport. Nath- Neil is very well-behaved, as far as Stuart can tell. At least he is not running around and screaming like some other kids his age here. Instead, he clutches the stuffed bunny Stuart bought him a few days ago at a gas station, and looks around with those huge eyes. Stuart supposes he‘s pretty cute with his huge, pink paci in his mouth. It bobs gently when he sucks on it, and, yeah, well, that‘s pretty cute. 

Stuart hasn‘t slept in about 50 hours.The last 11 days are a blur. Last night, when Neil finally fell asleep in the too-soft hotel bed, Stuart put on an audiobook called „So, you decided to adopt“. He supposes „So you decided to take in your dead sister‘s spawn“ would have been too gloomy a title. Well. One of the things Stuart remembers from it is that he‘s supposed to talk loads to the little rugrat. The book said it wouldn‘t matter what he was saying, as long as he was talking, and engaging the child. 

„Neil?“, Stuart asks, and Neil reacts. Smart boy, he‘s already learned his new name. „Are you hungry?“ 

Neil nods. 

„What would you like?“, Stuart asks. Neil doesn‘t say anything, just looks at him with those big eyes. Great. 

„Hm?“, Stuart tries as gently as he can. They‘re sitting right opposite of a champagne bar that seems to sell mussels as well, but Stuart doubts that‘s something a two-year-old would enjoy. 

The paci in Neil‘s mouth bobs as he suckles on it with that little noise that probably makes women‘s ovaries overheat. 

They look at each other in silence for a little longer.

Suddenly, another, much less well-behaved (or traumatized) child screams somewhere to their right, making Neil startle- Stuart looks to that side automatically, and instinctively, his right arm flies out to wrap around Neil. 

He looks in time to see that other child fall- and spill his fries all over the airport floor. 

„McDonald‘s!“, Stuart blurts out, „Kids like that, right?“ 

Neil looks a little confused but not entirely anti. 

Stuart stands and holds out a hand for Neil. Neil takes it, tiny, pudgy hand sliding into Stuart big one, a hand that has more blood on it that than most, and more than Neil will hopefully ever see in his whole life. 

„Come on, it‘s right over there. Yeah, take your bunny, hold on tight.“ 

 

It‘s been at least a decade since Stuart ate at the golden M. The smell of fat and processed meat is still familiar, though.   
As they stand in line, Stuart notices how Neil gets jostled around- many adults with long legs and suitcases. Neil presses himself close to Stuart‘s leg, clutching his bunny harder. 

Stuart decides to try something. 

„Hey, pal, d‘you want up?“ 

He emphasizes it by holding out both hands to Neil. Neil looks up at him, and seems to think for a moment before reaching for Stuart. Neil always seems so thoughtful, Stuart quietly thinks as he hauls him up. No wonder, probably. Neil wraps his arms around Stuart‘s neck, stuffed bunny dangling off Stuart‘s shoulder. 

„What do you want to eat?“, Stuart asks. „They have happy meals, just for kids! Do you want one of those?“ 

He feels Neil nod against him more than he sees it. Success.   
The food smell is being drowned out by Neil‘s scent now that he is so close to Stuart‘s nose. He smells like… washing powder and milk and something else that reminds Stuart so much of Mary that he feels like someone punched him in the gut for a moment. 

 

They eat, and then it‘s time to board their plane to the UK.   
Stuart booked first class, of course, and usually that means discreet travelling. Not with a child, apparently.   
It seems like all the flight assistants fuss over Neil, he gets colored pencils and snacks and a blanket and another stuffy, a little blue plane. Stuart gets some appreciative glances from the crew, but that‘s it. Seems like the times of fucking cute stewards in the lavatories are over. 

When the plane starts, Stuart keeps glancing over to Neil, who sits in his seat with his blanket and his stuffies and can barely look out of the window. 

His eyes seem glassy, and there‘s a little bit of drool running down from the corner of his mouth.  
The plane gains altitude. Stuart can feel the uncomfortable pressure in his ears, and so can Neil, apparently, because he keeps shaking his head; when Stuart looks over, there are tears hanging on Neil‘s lower lash line- but he‘s biting the pacifier. 

Don‘t you cry, he hears Mary‘s voice in his mind, Be quiet.

„Hey, pal… are your ears hurting?“, he asks gently. Neil looks up at him, and when he nods, Stuart can see his bottom lip wobble. „It‘s gonna be over in a minute, okay? Once the plane is aaaaaaall the way up in the sky.“ Since when does he do baby talk?! 

Neil sniffles, but nods. 

Stuart hesitates for a second. Then he reaches over, unbuckles Neil‘s seat belt and lifts him into his lap. 

„Okay?“, he asks, but Neil is already holding on to him. Stuart fumbles a little but eventually has Neil in his lap, face first. Neil‘s head falls forward against Stuart‘s shoulder, and there‘s the little noise again. 

„Can you see out of the window? We‘re really high up, over the clouds.“, Stuart explains. Neil doesn‘t say anything. 

„Are you tired?“, Stuart asks. Neil just nods, a tiny movement against his shoulder. 

Stuart hesitates again, and then reaches for the side of his seat, reclining. Neil is heavy and warm and Stuart can feel drool seeping through his dress shirt. Well. 

„You can sleep like this.“ 

Stuart is going to regret this, at the latest when he has to pee in an hour.   
But what‘s a bit of suffering compared to a peacefully sleeping Neil, really.

**Author's Note:**

> Come follow me/talk to me/support me on [Tumblr](marmelade-sky.tumblr.com) :)


End file.
